Property tax vote results to be shared at Long Beach public hearing

LONG BEACH - Results of an election to renew for 10 years a downtown special services fee that would be expanded to include residents will be announced Tuesday.

Ballots went out in June to stakeholders within the Downtown Property Based Improvement District, or PBID, which was first created in 1998.

The downtown PBID covers about 70 blocks and would raise $2.25 million in its first year.

Thus far, the PBID has only incorporated commercial properties and provides cleaning, safety, beautification and economic aid to augment city services.

Of that figure, homeowners would now be charged about $169,000 for only the cleaning, safety and beautification features of the tax.

Opponents of the fee have called it "taxation without representation," since votes on the PBID are weighted according to property value and thus favor business interests.

Downtown Long Beach Associates, the business group that administers the tax, said inclusion of residents in the district renewal is necessary because the state Constitution and case law suggest the district could be challenged in court if all who benefit from it aren't paying a proportionate share of services.

City Clerk Larry Herrera will count the ballots and report the results of the election at a public hearing scheduled for 5 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

The council can ratify, reject or reduce the scope of the district. City staff has recommended following the outcome of the vote.

If approved, the PBID's plan calculates the average annual assessment for a 1,000-square- foot condominium between $58.34 and $114.16, depending on where the property is located.

A commercial property receiving the full range of services would pay more, with a 50,000-square-foot office building paying $4,588 per year, for example.

Long Beach is one of the largest landholders in the downtown PBID. The Civic Center, Main Library and associated parking structures are within the district's boundaries.

The city would pay $389,493 to the district, but $172,710 of that would be paid by DDR, the leaseholder at the Pike at Rainbow Harbor, according to a staff report.

Tuesday's meeting before the council's regular business can be viewed live on Charter Communications Channel 3, Verizon FiOS Channel 21 and online at www.longbeach.gov.